Page 142 of The Perfect Spiral
“If she calls me that one more time, I will bury her in the sand,” he says, not opening his eyes. I had to bite my cheek to stop myself from allowing a chuckle to escape.
I see her storming over to him and wrapping her arm around his waist, not before she sends me a glare. It’s too easy to get under her skin. The cameras are going wild with the PDA, mainly from her.
He’s just standing there like a tree, not even bothering to acknowledge her.
My hair is a little damp from the water so I pull it back to wrap it up in a messy bun with no hair tie, hoping it’ll stay in position without the added support. It does for a while.
I can tell he doesn’t want to be alone with her so I stay where I am. Her arms tighten around him, pulling him closer to her.
Hearing the media asking if they’re back together, she turns to face them and tells them, “Yes, we couldn’t keep away from each other for so long. It’s meant to be.”
His eyes quickly open mid-sentence and he responds, clearly irritated, “We’re not together. We were never together.” He politely removes himself from her and she’s clearly embarrassed by what he said publicly.
Knox saunters off towards Adam and Eden, who are still engrossed in their play, and I sink down into the sand, letting the waves lap over my legs. Lauren, meanwhile, storms back to the media, likely to do some damage control after his outburst.
A few minutes later, my mom settles down beside me. She gently brushes a stray strand of hair from my face. We don’t exchange words. We don’t need to.
I watch as the water rushes over my feet, carrying with it tiny shells and larger grains of sand. They tumble around beneath me, caught in the pull of the waves.
“So, Ben and Hannah, huh?” Mom bends her knees, her gaze drifting towards the people in the water.
“You jealous of Hannah, Mom? I think they’d be kind of good together,” I tease, squinting one eye shut to get a better look at her. Her smile is radiant. I love it when my mom smiles.
“Ben is gorgeous, sweetie. Why not keep him for yourself? He clearly adores you.”
“He is, but our relationship is platonic. I adore him too. He gets me. I love being around him. He’s so easy to talk to and can read me like a book.”
“Oh, come on, Alex. I love Hannah, don’t get me wrong, but he is good for some fun, no?”
“Mom, no. We both don’t see each other like that. I just... I want to focus on myself. I need to think about things, you know? What do I really want? Who do I want?”
“Just consider it, sweetie. He’s gorgeous too. He has a lot of time for you, Alex. He’s making such an effort with you.”
“I’m not his type, Mom. He likes someone else. He told me there’s a girl he likes but it’s complicated.”
“Do you know who she is?”
“No, he won’t say yet, but he told me I know her. So it’s most likely someone from school or something? I don’t know.”
“What? What’s that face for? You’re making a face right now and I don’t like it. Tell me!” I whine at her, toying with the water in my hands.
“Well, ever think that maybe it’s... you?” “Me? Why the hell would it be me? He doesn’t like me! You’re getting like Sam, Andy, Hannah, and Ben now, Mom. Trust me, I’m not his type.”
“You keep thinking that, honey. But a mother knows,” she gives me a pointed look over her sunglasses. I groan out in frustration.
Don’t think about it, Alex. It’s not you. You’re not his type.
I start to poke my finger in the sand, watching it disappear as the hole once there quickly fills with sand. I can feel her eyes on me, so I look back at her. Her shoulder nudges me and I nudge her back.
Resting my head on her shoulder, I glance over at Knox playing with Eden and Adam. The girls behind me are practically swooning, picking up their underwear off the floor.
I catch his eye and he gives me a small smile. My heart stops beating. Oh no, no, this isn’t happening. He’s still staring at me and I’m staring at him. Look away! I mentally scold myself, and I do.
Later that day, the waves pick up so Ben and I surf together while most people on the beach watch us. I annihilate Ben on the board and we decide to watch the sunset on the sea together.
“Super romantic,” Ben teases me, trying to push me off my board.
“Sorry, honey, I’m not Hannah.” Two can play that game, Hendrix. He gives me a deadpan look and I giggle, splashing water at him.
